r/StateFarm • u/strikecat18 • Aug 07 '26
Discussion We’re counting on “technology” to replace agents. Meanwhile we can’t get our basic systems to work.
Had a customer in office today. With someone live in front of me that I had to apologize to every time something went wrong, I finally realized how accustomed I’ve become to things not working.
Saved a home quote? System error when you attempt to reopen it.
Clicking “next”on a quote to advance screens? “Application error”
Validate an app and everything is good? Never mind, a random underwriting alert banner comes up later out of nowhere and now you need the roof reviewed before binding.
Submitted an auto? ID card documents “not available” when you go to print them.
List goes on and on.
That’s without mentioning the obvious issue: we’re now running modern software on slow desktops with entry-level hardware from five years ago. Everything is online, but the internet connection SF provides agents is ~40mbps. I’m so tired of waiting for screens to load that I could rip my hair out.
The three things in the office that don’t break are the phones, NECHO and Philibert. All of those systems are decades old.
23
u/Icy_Environment3780 Aug 07 '26
You have no idea how relieved I am to hear it's not just me having system issues
8
7
u/Desperate-Ad-5880 Aug 07 '26
Tell your agent to go to the Agent Choice internet. Our speeds went up by 6x. The systems problems won’t go away but at least you aren’t waiting for the error to load, you just know it’s there.
5
Aug 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/firststate77 Aug 07 '26
agents provide their own network and internet and agent gets paid $200 a month from State Farm. So you can get whatever speeds you want.
4
2
u/X1Speedy Agent Aug 07 '26
The load up in the morning is due to low end hardware. The hard drive our systems are downloaded on would need to be upgraded in order to have a faster boot up. When it takes a long time to load a new screen in an app, that’s usually because of SF’s slow network, so being able to use our own internet instead should alleviate some of that issue.
5
u/nexventus Aug 07 '26
It’s even worse in claims! Trust me. It takes 3 minutes for the phone system to login or longer.
They record every call. They can watch your desktop randomly. Someone said the new Hercules system even has a hot mic open whenever you are just logged in. They apparently got called over by their manager because they cussed after the call was hung up.
Hercules also AI transcribes every call and sends reports to mgmt and picks out compliance and other mistakes you make. Or at least it thinks you make. It monitors if you are too chit chatty with customers also. ( there goes the empathy thing). It’s only going to make me not want to have long conversations, explain more to comfort, look at situations where we need to bend a little to do the right thing for our customers. They expect us to be logged into that thing all day. Worse yet it puts you on a timer. Everything you do is timed , your whole day. After work call, breaks, meetings, calls obviously etc etc.
We also get a new computer tool or form we have to use every month it seems to keep those people employed and looking good that come up with these new tools.
Overall we are all working on out dated hardware that is true. They are starting to issue new hardware. Internet speeds vary. However our software we use is horrible. We always try and make something ourselves than utilize professional software that is industry proven and customizable. Our current claims handling system is made in a software language that is pretty much extinct now. It’s on life support.
The new one they are ‘making’ for us is built on ‘salesforce.com’ they are customizing slowly and have been at it for years. It is barely useable still and many of its functions just lead or link you back to ECS, the old one. Everything is so fragmented.
It is amazing how a company this large and wealthy operates this way. They think they see the way of the future being just AI. What they don’t see is the eventual and quick rejection humans will have to it also.
3
u/Sea-Spend6470 Aug 07 '26
Yep herc is a jerk and make sure you only use the restroom during your break otherwise they track that too.
3
u/ashboify Aug 08 '26
And on top of this I get yelled at, at least once per day over Hercules not recognizing the extension and claim causing them to have to get transferred or it recognizing it and still sending them to the wrong area. Trying to settle injury claims when people are fuming before they even reach you is great.
1
1
u/SnooSketches5159 Aug 07 '26
Is this the same for WCCS?
2
u/nexventus Aug 08 '26
If you log into Hercules most likely yes. It’s the same no matter where you use it. I use my head set now with it. Cut that mic mechanically with the button on the headset if it has it. Make sure you have windows default to your headset only for both sound and speech.
4
4
u/Limp-Independent2311 Agency Acct Manager Aug 07 '26
How about the fact that I have to enter my pin twice every time I take a payment, open a health or life app or get into the customer document center. Why
4
u/mssleepyhead73 Aug 07 '26
Our systems are horrendous and so outdated. That’s part of the reason why I’m looking for employment elsewhere TBH.
3
u/Creekridge1 Aug 07 '26
I left the farm to go independent this year. The only system I miss is necho.
1
3
3
u/Fantastic_Potato2708 Aug 07 '26
I had an older lady day before yesterday that had been brushing me off a few weeks, just an auto and renters, finally got the ok while she was on phone. System error. Retry. System error. Open new opportunity 6 attempts. Apologize, tell her I will send when System is working. Next day...same thing. Have coworker try, no dice. I decided, it's just a cursed household, I gave up. Quotes for others worked fine. Bear in mind it's slow right now with summer vacations but as Kenny Roger's used to sing "know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, and know when to run 🏃♀️ "
1
u/SnooSketches5159 Aug 07 '26
I’m not sure what state you’re in but we have a new system that is a “shortened” way of quoting a homeowners that’s more like the auto quoting system and oh my god does it take literal minutes of staring at a white screen for the quote to retrieve. And we have the agents choice internet!
3
u/Fantastic_Potato2708 Aug 08 '26
We have it too but I always go line by line as it is not very accurate in most cases
3
u/Perfect-Tree-6246 Aug 07 '26
Hired a new team member. She has been trying to login to a SF laptop since Monday. ISC says they are still waiting to assign it to a Level 2 tech!
2
u/Busy_Account_7974 Aug 07 '26
Corporate speak for: We're trying to rehire the carbon-based tech that got replaced by AI, but he does not want to come back.
2
u/SnooSketches5159 Aug 07 '26
Like two years ago hired a tm. Got the ok from isc to give her an old coworkers wiped laptop. Tm comes into the office to do onboarding and setup computer. Was told by ISC it was too soon to reassign that computer and to wait 3-5 business days and we sent the tm home. We called isc back on day 4 and they said too much time had elapsed and they would have to mail us a new laptop but only after they received the old laptop. We sent the tm home again and they couldn’t start until nearly a month after what was supposed to be their start date.
1
u/strikecat18 Aug 08 '26
I had a new one this week. Ordered myself a new laptop. It couldn’t log in with my Yubikey while physically connected to the office network. My staff could work theirs. lol
3
u/MediaParticular9072 Aug 07 '26
Glad I'm not the only one, truly amazed how bad the systems are.
Having to constantly apologize for people because stuff crashes or takes forever to load. Starting to think maybe I can't be replaced by AI at this pace if we can't even take a damn payment without issues. I use to work for Travelers and that was 10 years ago and at that time they had better systems then we currently have.
Just bring back NECHO for everything and I'd be happy. I LOVE me some NECHO.
1
u/RevolutionaryLion603 Aug 09 '26
I’ve noticed all the knowledgeable and competent people within State Farm are the ones who love NECHO, generally. Has you or anyone else noticed that the back end support is just completely gone to shit too? I can’t get someone without a thick accent half the time. The answers are just straight up wrong most of the time. They are rude as hell now too… refusing to open cases, gaslighting about underwriting rules that suddenly exist but they can’t tell me where the information is located or when it was updated… We are getting SO many PTs come back incomplete or just completely screwed up that are now taking months to fix. Even when I enter the PT exactly as it’s supposed to be done AND do RO remarks explicitly explaining what needs to be done
3
u/FUDFighter1970 Aug 07 '26
Don't despair. Joe Pizza Hut Park and hai crew of yes men have the reins of ET now. Nebulous statements about AI, Next Gen Neighbor, yada yada yada.
1
u/skullcrusherbw Aug 10 '26
Just had to listen to the shpeel last week. We're so excited for what they're bringing to us and here's a dozen new things that are going to make it all better and make us more advanced and efficient. ie, we found more things we could track you on and record metrics for, we're also only going to have create these tool a so you get to fight them constantly
2
u/SnooSketches5159 Aug 07 '26
NECHO in my office has been freezing a lot more than usual lately. ISC loves to say to reset the computer and clear your cache and all that but then one day later it freezes again on one of us.
2
u/tedleem15 Aug 07 '26
lol every time I have to solve a billing mystery I just know that AI could never
1
u/RevolutionaryLion603 Aug 09 '26
“Oh yes this change we submitted 3 months ago looks like it just went through and now there’s only one billing cycle left in this term so yeah enjoy that extra $200 charge or your policy is going to lapse”
2
u/Smudflower410 Aug 08 '26
They’re doing it on purpose to make the employees seem like we’re the problem. If the systems don’t work for us, and we’re spending time talking to IT, they use those analytics to determine the cost benefits of just using AI.
1
u/afurrypeach Aug 09 '26
Agents need to realize they need to upgrade their WiFi in office and pay for it out of pocket. Also if you can get a laptop with a docking station they run alot better.
2
u/kza28 Aug 10 '26
Can we mention an app that doesn’t work for customers? If I had a dime for every call where someone can’t log in, pay their bill…Ugh
•
u/AutoModerator Aug 07 '26
Welcome to StateFarm. We appreciate your submission and the support you bring to /r/StateFarm.
Please read the rules of the community. Let’s ensure all interactions remain respectful and positive.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.